My Review of The Way of the Oracle by Diana L. Paxson

I have had a profound respect and admiration for Diana Paxson for the better part of thirty years. A brilliant author of speculative fiction, Paxson’s role as a spiritual leader has been no less impressive. Her command of language is a gods given gift and she uses it to great effect in whatever arena she finds herself in. Her latest scholarly work, The Way of the Oracle, finds her right at home as she shares her research into the history and tradition of this path. More importantly, her insights into the oracular tradition and how they can be incorporated into the here and now is inspiring stuff. Diana Paxson effortlessly guides the reader on the intricate pathwork, invoking the wisdom of the ancients and delivering it to the modern esotericist.

The Way of the Oracle is ambitious. This may be its only shortcoming as much of the first part of the book, that which deals on the history of the tradition, is rather broad in scope. As an overview, it’s a fascinating read, but a bit more meat on the bone would have been preferable. Any misgivings, however, give way to the reasoned and compelling second part of the book, in which the author shares her insights into the practical application of the work in question.

It is in this second part of The Way of the Oracle, “Invoking the Oracle”, as it is so aptly named, that Paxson truly shines. Littered with exercises, diagrams, and intuitions, the author paints a vivid picture and confidently displays her understanding of the tradition. It comes across as knowledge hard won, but freely shared by someone who has walked the proverbial path.

I wholeheartedly recommend The Way of the Oracle to anyone with an interest in the oracular tradition, particularly those who wish to delve headlong into modern seer work. Diana Paxson has written a wonderful introduction to the path and I can think of no better book to prepare one for the journey.

The Way of the Oracle is available wherever books are sold. I most often, of late, have invited you to purchase directly from the publisher, which you can do here, but in hindsight, a visit to your local brick and mortar, or better yet the corner occult bookseller, would undoubtedly be much needed and supportive to an industry on the ropes at this time.

Thank you so much for your kind words. I actually agree with you about Part I– I would have liked to make it longer, but my publisher gave me a word limit. Recovering oracular practices has been a fascinating journey. If you are ever in Berkeley on the 2nd Tuesday of January, May, August, or November, come to one of our sessions at the Berkeley Unitarian church at Cedar & Bonita!